Lots of the Words of Wisdom

Churchand Comittment

This sunday three investigators came to church which was way good. Barbie and Roy came and they loved it like as usuall. They especially enjoyed the sunday school class we talked about the final judgement and answered her questions about baptisms for the dead. that she can do the work for her ancestors and that they can still have the opportunity to accept the fulness of the gosepl of Jesus Christ. Roy was announcing to everybody that he was going to stop smoking and be baptized. They are really progressing and there testimonies are being strenghtened immensely.

Stopping Smoking

We went over to Julians and he said the he wanted to stop smoking and drinking coffee. we are going to go over there and teach him the stop smoking lesson. It is a lesson that has fifteen steps and if they do it everyday for a week. they will be a non smoker. this lesson has been taught by missionaries all over the world and since 1980's and it works. It was two missionaries that fasted and prayed because so many of there investigators could not be baptized because they smoke. it is truly inspired by the Lord. He said that he has been reading the book of mormon and he just finished reading the book of alma and he said when he reads it he feels peace, happy and gets a lot calmer. he said to us he does not know what he his looking for as for an answer. we taught him the role of the holly ghost that it usually answers us in small little ways like he has been experiencing. he said I have been getting the answer the whole time and I have not realized it. He is getting really close towards baptism.

More Word of Wisdom

Yesterday we went over to a new investigators house the Longs. Sister long read from the book of mormon and they asked a lot of questions about how the missions work and everything that is involved they are just amazed. they have been doing really well. we are going to teach them the word of wisdom because sister long is a fanatic about nutrition. we thought of teaching about the word of wisdom would help her to know that joseph smith was a prophet of God.

 

Another Joyful Week of Service

Great Week

this past week has been really good. we went on exchanges with the our district leader in lumberton and with the jasper missionaries, it was a great learning experience to learn from other missionaries. We met and taught a lot of lessons this past week. 

Halloween

yeah last wednesday for halloween we did a trunk or treat were everyone decorates there trunks and gives out candy to the community that come on by. We also had chili it was pretty good. They said in all the years of them doing this this was the best year they had about three hundred people come through and a ton of non members it was pretty fun. we were the judges to see who had the best trunk and gave them a trophy.

 

Barbie and Roy - The Power of the Book of Mormon

Barbie and roy has been doing pretty good they have been inviting us over for dinner every saturday and roy has cut back on smokin gwhich is really good. they just saw the doctor the other day and told them that Roy only has weeks or months to live because of the tumor that is spreading so fast. We have been going over there at least two to three times a week to encourrage and to lift him up. yesterday we stopped by and roy was feeling all nervous and not that good, he was about to smoke outside but we handed him a book of mormon and told him to read ether 12 about faith. we can back inside to talk to barbie. we saw him to read it and he came inside and was still reading it on his hospital bed. when he finished the chapter he said thankyou. he said when he read the book of mormon that the nervousness, anger left him, and he was alll calm and peacful. The book of mormon is powerful and I know it is the word of God. each day i read it on my own and with investigators it convinces me more and more that it is true and that Joseph Smith did translate it by the power of God. Oh yeah we watched the joseph smith prophet of the restoration with them and they loved it and it helped barbie a lot about losing a lot of close family and friends she has lost. She saw that joseph smith went through a lot and a lot of his family members and friends passed away but he kept moving and pressing on. We listend to a talk by president thomas s. monson becuase she wanted to hear the prophet. the more she finds and studies about our religion she is more convinced that this is the only true church on the face of the earth.

 

The Longs

yesterday we taught a new family the Longs and we brough a member that knows there daughter. we taught the restoration to them and they asked a lot of questions about the book of mormon. they loved to talk so went off topic a lot of the time. non denomitional church, they were baptists before but they do not believe some of the things they do which led them to that church. I know if they search this out with a sincere heart and real intent they will come to know the truthfulness by the power of the holy ghost. I am very excited for them and they invited us to come back to teach them a little bit more.

 

Jacob the Baptist

We saw jacob he is a 17 year old that is living with the tomas's. he goes to the baptist church. he said it would be very hard to convert to mormonism because he has always grew up in the baptist church. at this time I was on a exchange with the district leader elder sylvester who was my previous companion in beaumont 5th branch. he is a convert about 6 or 7 years ago and he shared his conversion story with him and it really hit him and he invited jacob to read the book of mormon with real intent and a sincere heart of really wanting to know of the truthfulness of it.

18 Month Reflection

I can not believe I have been out for 18 and a half months on my mission. I have learned so much, I have grown so much (spiritually and physically haha) well at least I think i have we will see. My testimony has strenghtened immensly I am so grateful that i was raised into the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. I know that these last few months will go by so fast before I know it. I know there is a lot of more people that I will touch. I am so grateful to be a missionary to share this wonderful news to the people in texas and lousiana. There is still a few things that i need to work on and to improve on but I know I will get there.

Work for the Dead and for the Living

Family History

Also we are doing a new finding idea that has to do with family history introducing it to less actives and other people on how they can research about there family. the family history consultant showed us how to do it. 

The Destructive Powers of Cancer

Roy dial is not doing so well. his tumor in his lungs is getting worse and he is going for another treatment for chemo this thursday. But they love our visits and our encouragement we give them. They have fed us twice, I love them and being with them.

Finding

then we found another family, we kind of just briefly talked to them but have not actually taught them anything. they started to love us and said to us you can come on over whenever you want. It will be good.

yeah we eat at members houses pretty often at least a couple of times a week.

Finding the Truth

True Conversion

Barbie and Roy is doing better they have been trying to cut back on smoking. They have been reading and studying a lot from the book of mormon. There understanding and there testimony has strenghtened immensely. They know that this is the true church and only church. barbie said to us "I have been to every other church in buna, colorado. florida, and tenesse. I have read 76 other versions of the bible. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actually have it right, it is 100% correct. she is just amazed by it. Roy a little later got his testimony of the gospel, they are so grateful that they met us. They are so excited to be baptized eventually and to be sealed together for all time and eternity.

 

Service

Oh yeah last monday we helped the McDaniel family bail hay, It is a workout. we did around three hundred of them, put them on the trailer and then stacked them in the barn. that was my second time bailing hay and I did not get blisters as bad the first time I did it.

 

Less Actives

We have been visiting a less active family the Lynedeckers and since we have been reading to them from the book of mormon her desire to actually to read it has increased so much. she said she was going to start reading from the beginning and they want to come back to church. Brother lyndecker has been researching alot more about the church and he is finally getting there and agreeing with everything. he asks a lot of questions which we answer and it helps him out alot.

 

we ran into another less active member who I have not met before. he is about in his late 60's or early 70's and his wife passed away like 8 years ago and he is still trying to get over it. we have been going over there and comforting him. he loves our visits he gave us tacos the other night just showing how much he enjoyed our visit with him later we gave him an upside down cake. it seemed like he loved that.

 

Update in Jasper

Investigators Progress

We found some new investigators that we are teaching. Tommy is one of them and he has a baptismal date for the end of the month.

 

Roy is still going through Chemo-therapy and is struggling and is in a lot of pain but me and my companion gave him a priesthood blessing. the spirit was so strong, after the blessing his neck stopped hurting and he has not smoked for the psat two days which is great. I know that he will be baptized before he passes on. He is such a wonderful person and we know that Heavenly Father is working with him strongly.

 

Thomas has been coming to church for the past five months and I thought he was a member the whole time but my last companion right before he left the area told me that he is not a member,  I was like what, why haven't we been teaching him. this past friday we taught him he has a few concerns that we need to get over but I think general conference helped him a lot.

 

A New Missionary

Training

Yeah I got my greenie companion on Tuesday. His name is Elder Gagnon it is a french name. He is from Pocatello Idaho. He is a really great elder the MTC taught him really well. Actually it seems like he is teaching me more than me to him. I am showing him around the area and getting to know the people. Yeah we are still in the same area. I will be in this area at least until December 18. He went to shcool for a year in Idaho. He also sold pest control the past two summers in California and Missouri. He is used to the humidity and talking to people which that is really good. Yeah there was 17 new missionaries that came from the MTC but 10 missionaries from here left home. We are getting a lot more next transfer. Our mission will be very young. This past week was slow because we tried to see a lot of people but everyone is not home.

Investigators

Last night we covered a lot of ground with one of our investigators. Julian we read from the bible about baptism then it led into the sacrament, then into the spirit which took most of the time which was good. From our talk know he knows what he is looking for when he prays and when he reads the book of mormon. The spirit was so strong. I think he is going to be progressing a lot more. We have a goal for this transfer of getting two baptisms and I think we can do it. There is a lot people that the lord has prepared we just need to give them a little push towards that direction. We are going to have a great transfer. we found some more potentials this past week so we are excited to go back and see them this week. There is nothing much else going on. But besides training a new elder. even our mission president said that this is the most important position on a mission. There is so much that has to go into training, It can be hard at times but it is worth it and I know that I will grow a lot from it.

People of the Kingdom

Jewish Family

barbara and roy dial the jewish couple they were supposed to be baptized this past week but Roy is diagnosed with cancer and he is going in for kemo and the doctors said to him not to stop quiting smoking because it puts too much stress on him. But I think he is still trying to quit so that he can be baptized. they are going through a really rough time.

 

Jamie Cannon

Jamie Cannon is doing really well, he is just soaking all of the information in. He tells us that all of this is famililar to him, he is so eager to learn, showing that he is so ready for the gospel so we are going to try to set a date with him this week. He loves it when we come over and he also does bible studies with a member in silsbee.

 

Hour of Power

during the hower of power we found the cox family and they had us over for dinner on saturday they are such a sweet family they asked us a lot of questions and the more answers we gave them the more questions they had it was great. they said they will start to read the book of mormon. they know some members in the orange ward and also they have some of there students that are mormons. we are excited for them.

 

talking about the hower of power we found another family the Mcdaniels that invited us back today who is going through a pretty hard time. we are excited to see them and talk to them. they also know some members in the buna ward.

Baptist Church 

oh  yeah yesterday we went to the central baptist church to hear one of our investigators speak. that was the first time I have been to another church it was pretty cool. It did not feel like church at all. it felt I was back in efy. becuase there was someone playing the guitar and someone playing the drums and the congregation would sing along. the songs are christian. when they feel the spirit they would raise both of there arms above there heads. then they had two speakers. one shared her excperience how coming to know God chnaged her life and the other one talked about mathew 5 and related it to the highshcool life. It was just basically highschool kids and a couple of adults that were there. it was interesting.

 

 

Bringing Back the Lost Sheep

we found the Cox family and they are really nice wonderful people. They are baptists and they are pretty much content with there religion. I think they will love our message and feel the holy ghost strongly and will think differently. We are teaching jamie cannon and he lives alone and he is trying to find something better for his life and answers to his questions. He has been reading the book of mormon and loves it, and he came to church which he also loved the peaceful, quiet and teachable atmosphere. We are going to try to set a date with him today.we also played basketball with our bishop and with his brother and some other youth in the morning after we helped a part member family do some service, cleaned out a shed.

 

Oh yeah on sunday we went the most north of our area, up to the Jasper area and we found a less active member and she said that she was going to come to church and she said that she was just making a lame excuse for not coming so it will be good for her to come and to be fellowshipped by the ward. while we were trying to find her house we saw a huge snake in the middle of the road I did not really get to see what it was but it looked like a king snake. we also found another less active family that has not come for many years that they forgot that they were even baptized into the church so we are working with them and they are starting to read the book of mormon.

 

another investigator we are working with is jimmy and he has been working on quiting smoking also with a less active member and they are doing really good and he also found a job that will be able to help them out a lot.